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Preaching Hate: Queer Youth Is Under Attack

 


For many LGBTQ+ teens, religion can feel like a paradox. Many religions try to promote peace and respect as a part of their core beliefs, but often times religion can be used to hurt those who don’t follow the norms. The sad reality is that many LGBTQ+ young people grow up hearing that their identity is something that needs to be “fixed” or hidden. And when that discrimination is backed by religion, the damage runs deep.

For most religious people, faith is more than just Sunday mornings or holidays, it’s part of who you are. But what happens when that same faith community doesn’t accept you? According to The Experience of LGBTQ+ Identity as Spiritual Identity (Machado, 2022), there are LGBTQ+ youth who see their spirituality as part of their identity, but it’s often at odds with what their religion teaches them. It’s like trying to live two lives: one where you cater to someone else’s bullshit idea of perfection and one where you can be honest with yourself about the way you want to live. But when being honest means risking family, friends, and support, it’s no wonder so many teens end up feeling alone.


If you think conversion therapy sounds like some outdated, horror movie shit, think again. It’s still happening in some religious circles, even though it’s been slammed by pretty much every mental health professional out there. The Trevor Project(2024) lays it out: this so-called “therapy,” which tries to change someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity, isn’t just useless—it’s dangerous. “In one study, lesbian, gay, and bisexual young adults who reported higher levels of family rejection during adolescence were 8.4 times more likely to report having attempted suicide, 5.9 times more likely to report high levels of depression, and 3.4 times more likely to use illegal drugs compared with peers from families that reported no or low levels of family rejection” (The Trevor Project, 2024, para. 8). That’s not just a statistic; it’s a red flag you can see from miles away. When you are forced to question everything about yourself at the risk of losing the only community you’ve ever known, it’s not surprising that many conversion therapy victims end up feeling like there’s something fundamentally broken within them.



Psychology Today (Tompkins, 2024) writes about how the effects of conversion therapy don’t disappear when the sessions end. The trauma sticks around, showing up in anxiety, depression, and trust issues that last for years, sometimes the rest of their lives. Even if more and more places are banning this kind of “therapy,” that doesn’t erase what’s already been done. And let’s be real: you don’t need to go through conversion therapy to feel the weight of religious discrimination. Just hearing people in your community say you’re sinful or that you’ll never be accepted is enough to make you question your self-worth.

Faith itself isn’t the problem here though. There are actually a lot of religious communities working hard to be inclusive and supportive of LGBTQ+ members. Machado (2022) points out that when LGBTQ+ teens are accepted by their faith communities, they can actually find a lot of strength and confidence. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. The problem is, progress isn’t happening fast enough, and not everyone has access to those welcoming spaces.


Some religious leaders and groups are rethinking how they interpret their beliefs and starting to speak out against discrimination. These are the places where LGBTQ+ teens don’t have to choose between their identity and their faith. But these safe spaces can be hard to find, especially if you’re stuck in a more traditional or conservative area.

At the end of the day, LGBTQ+ youth just deserve better. No one should have to live with religious discrimination that tells them they need to change who they are. Whether it’s through harmful practices like conversion therapy or just constant negative messaging, it’s clear that things need to change. Activists, supportive religious groups, and mental health pros are pushing for that change, but it’s going to take everyone getting involved to really make a difference.

 

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